The Sixth Sense
by Porthos1013
Summary: McKay and Sheppard bicker, Rodney pulls a “Daniel Jackson,” and a love triangle gets resolved. McKayWeir, SheppardWeir UST, COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Sixth Sense

Author: Porthos

Challenge #25 in the Weir ficathon on livejournal, posted by Purpleyin.

4 specifications: **McKay, Weir, The Sixth Sense and mention (or inclusion of) Earth**

Rating: K

Spoilers: Letters from Pegasus, and a big one from The Sixth Sense.

Pairings: McKay/Weir, Weir/Sheppard, with a few tidbits thrown in for M/S and M/B slash fans.

Summary: McKay and Sheppard bicker, Rodney pulls a "Daniel Jackson," and a love triangle gets resolved.

Author's notes: This is terribly late, so I apologize, but it's also really long, so hopefully that will make up for it. It's also unbeta'd, and this is only my first draft, so any mistakes or inconsistencies are totally my own. Oh, and also, just pretend that the ZPM allows two-way travel between Earth and Atlantis, or otherwise the ending doesn't make sense. ;P

oOo

Elizabeth strolled through the corridor of Atlantis, listening to the good-natured bickering of the men she stood between.

"Major, please! Football requires as much athletic prowess as a bunch of cavemen grunting and squabbling over the last piece of meat. Hockey, however…now there's a sport that requires finesse."

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "Right, if by 'finesse' you mean the ability to blindside a guy up against a glass wall. So much for your civilized sport, McKay."

"At least a hockey player's athletic ability isn't considered directly proportional to the size of his beer belly," Rodney snorted. "Besides, hockey is an Olympic event."

"Oh, so it's not really a sport unless it's in the Olympics?"

"The Olympics are an internationally recognized event, Major. If dozens of countries come to a consensus, it's an official sport," he replied smugly.

John came to a halt, causing the other two to stop and look at him. "Okay, I think we need a third, objective opinion," he said, a twinkle in his eye. "Elizabeth, which do you consider more of a true sport?"

Elizabeth pursed her lips at being addressed. She had allowed their argument to dissolve into the background, an oddly comforting and ever-present aspect of their friendship. "Between hockey and football?" she questioned. At Sheppard's nod, Elizabeth pretended to consider the matter carefully. Finally, she answered in an assured tone, "Neither."

She fought to keep a straight face as they raised their eyebrows in unison. "Neither?" John asked.

Elizabeth allowed a smile to touch her lips when she answered. "I prefer synchronized swimming." She turned and continued down the hall, leaving the two men gaping after her.

"Synchronized swimming?" Rodney parroted, his voice incredulous.

"Well," Sheppard said in mock seriousness, "It _is _and Olympic event."

Rodney glared at John's back as he followed Weir down the hall. "Oh, har har. Really, Major, I don't know why you joined the military when you had such a promising career in stand up!" He jogged to catch up with the others, but stopped short as they passed his lab. "Wait a minute!" he called, ducking into the room. "I almost forgot, I have to grab some files for the debriefing."

Elizabeth and John followed him into the lab to find Rodney carefully piling files and folders on his desk. "Rodney, you do realize that our meeting at the SGC is only a formality. All this isn't necessary."

Rodney didn't glance up from his paper shuffling. "Still, it never hurts to be prepared."

The clearing of John's throat sounded suspiciously like the phrase "suck up." Elizabeth gave him a stern look, to which he replied defensively, "What? He's just trying to brown nose for the president!"

"Oh, please. He's not even from my government. And don't tell me you're not excited to meet him!" Rodney pointed an accusing finger.

Sheppard responded coolly, "Already have. Who do you think talked me into going on this crazy ass mission, anyway?"

"I thought that was a coin toss."

"Major," Elizabeth interrupted before he had a chance to reply, "I assume you've already compiled your supplementary reports for the president?"

John suddenly became very interested in the many devices on McKay's lab table. "It's not completely done yet, but it's coming along nicely."

"The meeting is in less than an hour, Major!" This time she glared in earnest. "Have you even started?"

"Hey, I'll get to it," Sheppard said in a mildly defensive tone. "I work best under pressure."

"Ah, yes," Rodney paused in his filing, staring out at nothing contentedly. "The wild call of the puffy-haired procrastinator. Funny, I thought they were extinct on Atlantis."

Elizabeth tuned out the sound of John defending his hair's honor, choosing instead to focus on the objects on Rodney's table. One object in particular caught her attention. It was a round device, about the size of a softball. It was covered with brightly colored squares, making it look like a Technicolor disco ball, only this disco ball had Ancient symbols written in each of the squares. Curiosity got the best of her, and she reached out and felt its smooth surface, then lifted it up to find it heavier than she expected. Happy to have an excuse to interrupt their argument, Elizabeth turned to Rodney and asked, "What does this do?"

Rodney only cast her a brief glance before doing a double-take. "Oh, uh, that…We're not really sure. Connor's team just found it in another lab. We haven't had a chance to study it yet."

Elizabeth turned it over in her hands as she continued to examine it. "It looks very—"

"Pretty?" John offered.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "I was going to say intriguing, but now that you mention it—"

"Yes, well, regardless of how it looks," Rodney interjected restlessly, "we haven't had a chance to determine if it's dangerous or not, so you probably shouldn't be messing with it."

His words and tone would have made just about anyone else a bit put out, but Elizabeth was able to recognize it as Rodney's concern for her well being, and handed the device over without complaint. Rodney made a move to take the ball from her, but as soon as his fingers touched it, there was a brilliant flash of light and a shock wave that sent Elizabeth and Rodney flying across the room in opposite directions.

Almost immediately, John was by her side. "Elizabeth! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She sat up, holding her head. It felt like a thousand tiny jackhammers were pounding away at her temple. "I think I hit my head, though." Just as he tried to gently pry her hand away to get a better look at her temple, she heard a muffled groan from the other side of the room. "I'll be fine, really." She waved him away. "Go check on Rodney. And John," she grabbed his sleeve and whispered, "pretend you checked on him first. You know how he can get." With a smirk and a nod, John moved off towards the opposite end of the lab. Elizabeth closed her eyes and listened to the throbbing in her head and the sound of John's voice.

"McKay, are you alright? McKay?"

Another groan. "I'm up, I'm up."

"McKay." This time it was a little more forceful.

"What? I heard you the first time!" came his very irritated voice.

"Rodney!"

"Major, what are you—" Rodney's voice became low. "Oh, crap."

Elizabeth's eyes shot open to reveal Rodney standing, peering over John's shoulder. The Major was apparently crouched over something, but her view was blocked by the lab bench. Getting to her feet, she ignored her sudden dizziness and headed over to join Rodney, who wore a shaken expression. When she reached his side, she could easily see why. Sheppard was crouched over the pale, lifeless body of a second Rodney McKay. She glanced between the two of them, then asked in a strangled voice, "Major, what's going on here?"

John didn't even glance in her direction, simply tapped his radio with a trembling hand. "Carson. Carson!" His voice had an edge of barely controlled panic.

"I'm here, Major. What's the—"

"Get down to McKay's lab, right NOW!"

"Major?"

"Damn it, Carson!" John's voice was thick and frantic. "He's not breathing. I …I can't find a pulse."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock, the she glanced at the man standing beside her. Rodney's face seemed to drain of all its color and his jaw hung slack.

"Start CPR," Carson's brogue came through the radio. "I'll be there as fast as I can."

John nodded silently, already positioning McKay's body for mouth to mouth and chest compressions. Next to Elizabeth, Rodney found his voice. "Oh, this is not good. This is so very, very not good."

Elizabeth tried to control the rising uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. Turning to the McKay standing next to her, she asked, "Rodney, what happened?" When she got no response, she said his name again, this time more urgently. "Rodney!"

It seemed to shake him out of his stupor, and he turned to meet her eyes, as if seeing her for the first time. "You…you can see me?"

"Yes, of course I can see you!" She was struggling to keep her voice calm. "Why wouldn't I be—"

Without saying a word, Rodney waved his hand in front of John's face. Sheppard continued doing his chest compressions on McKay's lifeless body, completely oblivious to Rodney's hand hovering centimeters from his nose. "Apparently," Rodney said, straightening, "you're the only one who can."

Elizabeth lost the battle to keep the panic out of her voice. "What the hell is going on here?"

Rodney's reply had that quality he possessed when he knew the answer, and was just waiting for everyone else to catch up. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked, motioning to the lifeless body. "I'm dead."

oOo


	2. Chapter 2

oOo

The sequence of events after Carson's arrival in the lab was a blur for Elizabeth. Carson took over CPR for the Major, and somehow they got his body loaded onto the gurney and wheeled him to the infirmary. They burst through the doors with Carson straddling Rodney's body on the stretcher, doing chest compressions. The rest of the medical team was working frantically to resuscitate Rodney's unresponsive body. The were followed closely by John, Elizabeth, and the other Rodney. Elizabeth noticed that Sheppard had gone uncharacteristically quiet, and if the steely look in his eyes was anything to go by, he had retreated inside himself. Rodney also had been disturbingly quiet. He watched everything Carson's medical team did with the single-minded focus of a laser beam, but at least he seemed to have his panic under control.

Elizabeth's thoughts were interrupted by a high pitched whine, and she realized they had hooked McKay up to a heart monitor. He was flat line. A nurse prepped the crash cart, then handed the paddles to Carson.

"Clear!" He pressed the paddles to Rodney's bare chest, and Elizabeth watched in horror as his back arched with the first jolt. There was a brief pause in the heart monitor, which was quickly replaced again by the high-pitched whine.

"Up the voltage to ten. Clear!" Carson tried again, with the same results.

"Again, fifteen volts. Clear!" Carson continued, upping the voltage each time. Each time, Rodney's body hit the bed with a thud that made Elizabeth flinch.

"Twenty. Clear!" Elizabeth felt like she'd never stop hearing that whine.

"Damn it, you arrogant bastard! Don't you _dare _die on my table! Alright, give me twenty-five volts."

"Doctor?" the nurse asked, eyebrows raised.

"Do it!" At her nod, Carson tried again. "Clear!" This time when there was no rhythm, the nurse placed her hand gently on Carson's arm. He cast her a desperate look, then bowed his head in resignation. His voice cracked as he spoke. "Alright. I'm calling it."

There was a loud crash, and Elizabeth turned just in time to see John's back as he left the room. The noise had come from a tray full of medical utensils that had been dumped on the ground, near the door. Rodney, who had been standing next to him, was staring off into space, looking confused and frightened. Deciding she could only deal with one crisis at a time, Elizabeth turned her attention to Carson and the nurse, who were draping a sheet over McKay's body.

"Stop!" she commanded, finally finding her voice. "Carson, stop! He's not dead!"

Elizabeth suddenly felt the gaze of the entire medical staff. "Please, listen to me! He's not dead! He's standing right there!" She whipped her head around to stare at Rodney, the motion throwing her slightly off balance. She motioned to Rodney, who managed to tear his eyes away from his own body and look at her.

"Dr. Weir, are you alright, lass?" Carson asked, his voice gentle and soothing, but it did nothing to ease her rising nausea.

"No! I'm not alright!" she replied, clearly agitated. "Listen, I know you can't see him, but he's there! He's not dead, he's…he's looking right at me!" She noticed Rodney's expression had changed from confusion and disbelief to one of concern, although she was having difficulty focusing on him.

"Elizabeth?" he asked softly.

"Dr. Weir, let me have a look at that head of yours."

"My head?" Elizabeth frowned and put a hand to her temple, surprised to see blood on her fingers when she drew it away. "Carson?" The world suddenly began to spin, Carson and Rodney's faces dancing in her field of vision, before it all went black.

oOo


	3. Chapter 3

oOo

John burst through the doors of the infirmary and made a beeline for Carson. "How is she?" he demanded.

"Major Sheppard! We've had nearly the entire bloody city looking for you! Where have you been?"

"Busy," came John's curt reply.

Carson glanced at Sheppard's poorly bandaged hand, and guessed that there was a wall somewhere in a lot of pain. "Aye, I can see that."

"How is Elizabeth?"

"She's fine. A minor concussion and a bit of a fainting spell, but nothing to worry about."

"Then why was I called? They said it was urgent!"

Carson looked down as he spoke, as if he couldn't meet Sheppard's eyes. "She's been asking for you…It seems she's…"

When he didn't finish his thought, John lost what little patience he had left. "Carson, what's going on?" he growled.

"She says Rodney's not dead!" Their gazes locked after his outburst, each contemplating the possible implications of such a statement. As if sensing John's questions, Carson continued, "She says she can see him, and hear him, but nobody else can. She's talking with him right now." John followed Carson's gaze to where Elizabeth sat near Rodney's body. She had a blanket around her shoulders and a cup of coffee in her hands, and she was having a rather animated conversation with the empty chair beside her. "I can't explain it," the doctor continued. "It may be related to the bump on her head, or possibly some sort of post-traumatic distress. The truth is, I'm at a loss. This is more Dr. Heightmeyer's area of expertise."

"Or she could be telling the truth," John countered, starting hard at the empty chair.

Carson cast him a sideways glance. "Whatever the case may be, the poor dear's had quite a shock."

"I'll talk to her," John said, his expression still unreadable.

oOo

"I'll miss coffee," Rodney said, staring longingly at Elizabeth's half-empty cup. "The dead don't need coffee, I suppose."

She sighed. "Don't start missing it yet, Rodney. We'll figure out a way to fix this."

"How?" he asked, despondent.

"I don't know, but I'm not ready to give up on you just yet," she answered with firm resolve.

Their eyes met and lingered on each other for a moment, before Rodney's mouth quirked into an odd half-grin. "You know, I always felt like you were the only person who ever really saw me, but this is just too literal. Still, I guess if I had to get stuck as a ghost with only one person for company, I'm glad it was—"

"Major Sheppard!" Elizabeth called out as she saw him approach.

"Elizabeth, how are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm fine, just a little tired. I actually wanted to—"

Elizabeth cut herself off abruptly as she saw John sink into the chair Rodney already occupied, passing right through him. Rodney shot out of the chair like a rocket. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, wide-eyed. "That was…"

"Interesting?" Elizabeth offered, one eyebrow raised.

"I was going to say creepy," Rodney responded, still staring at Sheppard.

"What?" John asked.

"Elizabeth smiled. She couldn't keep herself from feeling like a little girl with an imaginary friend as she uttered her next words. "You just sat on Rodney."

This time it was John's turn to shoot out of his chair. "Don't worry, Major. He's not there anymore."

"Well, where is he then?"

Elizabeth pointed to the space right next to Sheppard. John raised his eyebrows questioningly, then tentatively stretched a hand out and started waving at the air. Rodney panicked as John's arm started passing through his midsection, and attempted to bat him away with his hands frantically. Elizabeth had to stifle a giggle at the sight.

"Elizabeth!" Rodney whined. "Make him stop!"

"John, come sit down," she said, a twinkle in her eye. "You're making Rodney a little freaked out."

"Hey!" Rodney objected instantly.

At the same time, John raised an eyebrow and mumbled, "_He's _freaked out." The major lowered himself into the empty chair with only a moment's hesitation. "Elizabeth, surely you can see how this whole thing sounds a little…nuts." He cast her an apologetic look. "I mean, you have to admit this whole thing seems like a bad rip-off of _The Sixth Sense_."

"Huh?" Rodney asked.

"Major," Elizabeth began in a warning tone.

John continued on, oblivious. "Well, you know, with the whole 'I see dead people' thing."

"John," Elizabeth continued to try to stop him.

"Although," Sheppard continued, now appearing to be musing to himself, "that would mean McKay is Bruce Willis, and that's a bit of a stretch."

Elizabeth watched Rodney, then closed her eyes when she saw the information click. "He was dead? He was dead the _entire time?_" Rodney's shock gave way to anger. "You couldn't have waited until I was out of earshot to reveal that little gem of an analogy?"

"Rodney, he didn't mean to."

"What?" Sheppard glanced between Elizabeth and the empty space where she was looking. "What'd I do?"

"Rodney's never seen the end of _The Sixth Sense_."

John gave a chuckle, then sobered when he realized she was being serious. "Really? What rock was he living under?"

"It was my understanding, Major," he spat, "that we've all been living in another galaxy for the past year. The nearest Blockbuster is 8 million light years away!"

"That's enough, Rodney. He can't even hear you, anyway." Rodney rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, but otherwise remained silent.

John cleared his throat. "Yeah, um, about that…"

"I'm not crazy, John. And I can prove it." He seemed to consider this for a moment, then nodded. "Rodney, tell me something about yourself that only John would know."

Rodney glared at her. "Absolutely not. Elizabeth, most of what I could tell you would be embarrassing, hence the reason only Sheppard knows it, most likely against my wishes, and I'm certainly not about to go sharing those things with the general population. Whatever happened to a little dignity for the dead?"

Elizabeth refrained from rolling her eyes, settling instead for a frustrated huff. "Rodney, I've seen you in your underwear. What could be more embarrassing than that?" Realizing what she had admitted in front of Sheppard, she turned to see him staring at her with raised eyebrows. Suddenly defensive, Elizabeth explained, "It's not what you think. I accidentally walked in on him and Carson."

John's eyebrows reached valiantly for his hairline. "I was getting dressed after a medical exam!" Rodney squeaked. "Elizabeth, tell him!"

She opened her mouth to speak, but John cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I _really _don't wanna know."

"It's not important right now, anyway." She ignored Rodney's very vocal objections. "What does matter is that you believe me, so that we can start fixing this." She gave John a hopeful look.

He took one of her hands in his, and it was a long time before he met her eyes. "Elizabeth, I want to believe you, but I think you need to prepare yourself for the possibility that—"

"I'm not giving up on him, John." Elizabeth met him with an iron gaze, the one she usually reserved for particularly tough negotiations. "You told Colonel Everett that I'd earned your trust. Now I'm asking you to prove it."

There was a silent battle of wills as their eyes locked. Finally, Rodney's voice broke the tension. "Well, if I _am _dead, it's only because that device sucked the life out of me. As if we don't have enough life-sucking going on in this galaxy from the glorified space-vampires, now we have to deal with the Ancients trying—" Rodney froze. Elizabeth recognized his expression as the one he wore when having a particularly insightful revelation, what his staff referred to as his "Eureka Moment." She waited impatiently for him to share his thoughts, but instead he just held up one finger and took off down the hall.

Without a second thought, Elizabeth was running after him, her blanket and coffee forgotten. John brought up the rear.

Only Rodney knew where they were going.

oOo


	4. Chapter 4

oOo

Elizabeth stopped at the doorway of Rodney's lab, followed by John. They were both out of breath. She saw Rodney crouched on the floor, hovering over the ball device where it had been dropped. With a goofy grin, he looked up at her. "I'm not dead!" he said triumphantly, spreading his arms wide.

Elizabeth couldn't stop the smile that lit up her face. "Really?"

"You doubt me?" Rodney replied, a smug grin on his face. "Look, there's Ancient writing inscribed all over this device." Elizabeth crouched down next to Rodney, and John did the same, though his expression clearly showed he had no clue why he was doing it. "What's the one thing the Ancients were obsessed with?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "Their war with the Wraith."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Okay, well, besides that."

Elizabeth's eyes lit up in realization. "Ascension."

"Exactly!" Rodney pointed to her emphatically. "I'm not dead, I'm ascended!" After a moment's pause, he amended, "Partially…anyway, that's not the point. We need to get Zelenka down here so we can start figuring out a way to reverse its effects."

Elizabeth immediately tapped her radio. "Dr. Zelenka, this is Weir."

"I'm here," the Czech's voice buzzed in her ear.

"I need you to report to Dr. McKay's lab as soon as possible."

There was a pause before she heard his voice again, a little sadder this time. "I'll be right there."

Rodney was one again engrossed in studying the device. "It's really quite fascinating. I think once we translate these engravings, we'll find—" The finger Rodney had been using to point at the symbols touched the surface of the ball, but instead of passing through, it seemed to shift the ball slightly. Elizabeth and Rodney both looked at each other, eyes wide.

John raised one eyebrow, and pointed at the ball warily. "Did that thing just…"

Rodney cocked his head sideways. "Huh." Without warning Rodney reached out and grabbed the ball, then quickly stood.

Seeing the device leap into the air, apparently of its own volition, was too much for Sheppard. With a loud exclamation of "What the—!" he jumped back about three feet, crashing into a shelf full of alien technology. Several devices fell to the floor, and some even activated, filling the room with light and sound. John tried to catch several in midair, failing miserably. He recklessly grabbed at the devices on the floor and attempted to hastily reshelf them while simultaneously shutting them off. At least, that's what Elizabeth supposed he was doing, but to her it looked more like a frantic tangle of limbs, or possibly a seizure.

"Major, be careful! That's highly sensitive equipment!" McKay roared.

John slammed his palm down on the last device, silencing its quick-like beeping. Without turning around, he said, "He's yelling at me right now, isn't he?"

"Oh, how very astute of you, Major 'I'm too good for Mensa' Sheppard."

"Yes," came Elizabeth's simple reply.

John whiled around, a huge smile plastered to his face. "Rodney, if you weren't a ghost right now, I'd kiss you!"

"Well, thank god for small miracles," he replied, disgusted.

"I take it you believe me now, Major?"

At that moment, Zelenka walked into the lab, his tired eyes downcast. "Elizabeth, I am so sorry to hear, I—sakra!" Radek jumped backwards in much the same manner as Sheppard had seconds before, except that Radek tripped over the edge of a desk, sending him sprawling backwards to the floor.

John frowned at the sight. "Please tell me I didn't look like that."

"Of course not, Major," Rodney replied sarcastically, despite the fact that Sheppard couldn't hear a word of it. "Your reaction was _graceful _flailing."

Elizabeth helped Zelenka back into a standing position. He adjusted his crooked glasses, but it didn't at all detract from his puzzled expression. "What is going on?"

"We think this device may have caused Rodney to partially ascend," Elizabeth explained.

Zelenka stared at the 'levitating' device, dumbstruck. "Really? That's…"

"Fascinating?" Rodney offered.

"A little disturbing," Radek finished. "How is someone like McKay allowed to ascend?"

Rodney shot him an annoyed glare. "My, what touching sentiments for a dead man. I'm definitely have you write my eulogy," he deadpanned.

"I thought you said you weren't dead, Rodney?" Elizabeth asked.

He disregarded her concern blithely with a wave of his hand. "Yes, yes, semantics. Now, what we need to do is have Zelenka start analyzing the electromagnetic output frequency using the spectroscopic emission array, preferably recalibrated to an error margin of point seven percent." Rodney paused expectantly, then glanced at Elizabeth's gaping expression. "Well? Tell him, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth continued to stare at him in slack-jawed confusion. "Rodney, I may speak six languages, but I can assure you that none of them are technobabble."

At that, Zelenka piped up. "Ah, he is trying to give orders, I think. Allow me," he offered, lazily. "He wants me to analyze device's frequency output using this array." He placed his hand on a large, complicated-looking machine with lots of blinking lights and dials. "And since McKay never wants anything done easy way, he most likely wants it recalibrated," he added with a sigh. "Any preference?"

Elizabeth looked at Rodney, who was simply staring at Zelenka with his mouth open, blinking. After a few stunned seconds, McKay shook himself out of his stupor long enough to respond to Zelenka's question. "Ah, yes. Point seven, actually." Elizabeth relayed that information, and Radek immediately went to work setting up his laptop and turning dials on the machine. Rodney hovered over his shoulder a moment, and when he seemed satisfied that the other scientist wouldn't break anything, he turned his attention to Weir.

"Elizabeth, I have a job for you, too."

"Great," she smiled, happy to help. "As long as it isn't translating technical jargon."

Rodney looked dubious. "Well, it is, but not the way you think. Considering this is an Ancient device, they most likely kept a record of it somewhere. I need you to look through the Ancient database on ascension research and see if you can find any reference to the device." She nodded, and the lab became a flurry of activity. Elizabeth was busy connecting her laptop to the Ancient database, Zelenka was engrossed with his dials and readouts, and Rodney was pacing as he gave orders, carrying the ball with him. Again addressing Elizabeth, he said, "Maybe you can figure out why this is the only thing I can touch, when nobody else—"

Rodney stopped abruptly as he passed through Zelenka, neither one paying attention to where they were going. However, while Rodney was able to pass through Radek without the Czech noticing, the device was not. Zelenka let out a yelp of surprise when the ball bounced off his chest and landed in his empty hands. The entire room held its breath expectantly. When nothing seemed to happen, Zelenka cracked one eye open slightly. "Am I dead?" he asked. He was met by a pair of shaking heads, but his relief quickly gave way to anger. "McKay, is not good idea to kill only person on Atlantis who can save your sorry ass! Don't you have enough problems without throwing Disco Ball of Death at me!" he roared at nothing in particular.

"Oh, you're fine." Rodney dismissed him casually, but his relief was apparent. He plucked the device from Radek's hands with only a half-hearted objection from the Czech. McKay snapped his fingers in his "I've got it!" gesture. "Of course! It's touch activated, but it needs someone with the gene to activate it! I had just assumed that once it was active it would respond to any touch, but this makes more sense." He looked at Elizabeth triumphantly. "They didn't want Wraith to be able to activate their technology, much less ascend! So this device only responds to someone it deems worthy of ascension, namely someone it perceives to be an Ancient! That's why it didn't activate when Zelenka touched it!"

"Wait a minute," Elizabeth interjected. "I don't have the gene, either. So how come I was affected?"

Sheppard answered for him. "Well, you were touching the device when McKay activated it. Maybe it got confused."

"Yes, thank you Major. Very helpful," Rodney replied sardonically.

Elizabeth ignored the exchange. "So, Major, if you were to touch this…"

"I could be dead and annoying McKay as we speak," he answered with a smirk. This earned a derisive snort from Rodney.

"Major, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I can't take the risk of both you and Rodney ending up in this state."

John clearly objected to her decision. "What? Elizabeth, I'm a big boy now, I think I can handle keeping my hands to myself."

"I'm not saying you'd do it intentionally, but you saw what happened to Dr. Zelenka."

"So? Rodney didn't do that on purpose! And he'll be more careful from now on, won't you?" He addressed the last part to the floating ball. Without waiting for Elizabeth to relay his answer, he motioned to the ball moving animatedly through the air. "See?"

Zelenka scoffed. "You didn't even hear what he said!"

"No," John shrugged. "But I trust him."

"Well, I'm asking you to trust _me._" Elizabeth's voice betrayed her lack of patience. Collecting herself, she placed her hand on Sheppard's arm. "John, please. Let us work. I'll call you if we learn anything new."

They stayed locked in silent battle, her hand on his arm, for several moments, until Sheppard finally gave in. "Fine. But I want updates!"

"Understood, Major," Elizabeth nodded. With one last reluctant look at where he was sure Rodney stood, he turned and exited the lab. Breathing a sigh at his departure, Elizabeth faced the two remaining men. "Gentlemen," she said, "let's get to work.

oOo


	5. Chapter 5

oOo

Six hours later, Elizabeth found herself questioning if the Ancients really were as advanced at they thought. Would it have killed them to install Google? She had translated nearly a quarter of the huge database, and wasn't anywhere close to finding any references to the device. Her head was throbbing, and she desperately needed an aspirin. The pain had started at her injured temple, then slowly spread throughout her head, down her neck and shoulders, finally setting up a summer home in the small of her back. Carson had told her to report any headaches to him immediately, but she hadn't reported her current aches and pains for fear that Carson would pull her away from her work, and Rodney needed her. Not only was she translating the Ancient database for him, but she was also acting as his moral support. When he got extremely frustrated with their lack of progress or started panicking, Elizabeth was always there to talk him down and keep him grounded in reality. Once his focus was restored, he would return to his place by Zelenka's side, offering helpful advice that Elizabeth could now relay without breaking her concentration on the database translations. They were working together like a well-oiled machine.

Elizabeth was engrossed in her work, only half-listening to Rodney's idle chatter in the background, when Major Sheppard entered the lab. "Major? What are you doing back here?"

"I know, I've been exiled, but I have reports from Beckett and the SGC," he said in a clipped tone. He clearly hadn't quite forgiven her for his banishment, yet. "Carson wanted me to tell you that he's run ever conceivable test on McKay, and aside from the fact that he has yet to go into rigor mortis, there's nothing unusual to report." There was pointed grumbling from Rodney at the thought of his body entering rigor mortis.

"And the SGC?" Elizabeth asked.

"They said they know how this kind of thing goes. Well, not this kind of thing, _exactly_…Anyway, we can reschedule the meeting at our next convenience."

Elizabeth stifled a smirk. "You know, you could have just radioed that information to us."

"I know," John leaned in conspiratorially. "But I'm also here on a covert ops mission."

She raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh?"

"Carson sent me to check on you," he smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Elizabeth suddenly remembered her aching muscles with a bitter vengeance. Rubbing the back of her neck, she replied, "I'm fine, just a little tired."

"Right," John said slowly, clearly not buying it. "You look fine." He replaced her hand with his, and gently began rubbing her neck muscles. "Where does it hurt?"

"Really, Major, I'm fi—ohh." John's fingers kneaded the back of her neck, and Elizabeth closed her eyes, suddenly feeling like she could take a very long nap. After a few seconds, her eyes opened to slits and saw Rodney staring very hard in her direction, before quickly looking away. Elizabeth immediately felt very guilty, reminding herself that she was supposed to be working on the database translations. With a curt, "Thank you, Major," she sat up straight again, and resumed her duties. John stood silently behind her for a while, before finally shifting his attention to Zelenka.

"How's it going, Doc?" he asked a little too cheerfully.

"Not good," came Zelenka's frustrated reply. "I am afraid we have hit a dead end."

"It's not a dead end," Rodney insisted harshly. "It's just a…momentary lull in progress…I hope."

Sheppard examined the device from afar. Eventually, he decided to share his observations. "You know, this thing kinda looks like a Rubic's Cube."

Three voices answered him simultaneously, without looking up. "It's a sphere."

John rolled his eyes. "Fine, then, it's a Rubic's Sphere," he said slowly, clearly annoyed. "My point is, I think with these little cracks and grooves, it looks like the squares could move around."

All attention was now directed sharply at Sheppard.

"Cracks?" Zelenka asked.

"Grooves?" Rodney chimed in.

"Yeah, have a look."

Zelenka and Rodney moved as one to examine the ball. Rodney picked it up, examined it for a moment, then gave Elizabeth a hopeful look. "Here goes nothing," he said, then twisted the ball in his hands. With a series of clicks, the top of the ball rotated several squares clockwise, and Zelenka let out a victorious whoop.

John's face broke into a confused grin. "Did I just save the day?"

"Maybe," Rodney said.

"Possibly," Zelenka replied, already typing away at his laptop.

Rodney turned to Elizabeth, and said, "We've determined the sphere emits some kind of energy burst at a constant frequency, which must be controlled by the pattern on the surface. If we can configure it into the exact opposite pattern, it'll emit the inverse frequency and the two will cancel out."

Elizabeth began relaying this information to Zelenka, but he was already on top of it. "Yes, it is possible, but not practical. The number of possible combinations of patterns is enormous. I am trying to calculate—"

"17,360," Sheppard said. "There are 17,360 possible combinations."

Zelenka looked at him blankly for a minute. "Uh, yes. And even if we analyzed one combination every hour, it would take us—"

"Almost two years to get through them all."

McKay looked incredulously at the Major. "How do you do that?" Turning to Elizabeth, he asked, "How does he do that?" She just shrugged.

"So you see, is not feasible to test by trial and error," Zelenka continued.

"Not if you construct a computer program to analyze them for you."

"However," Radek added, "I could possibly write program to analyze data from possible combinations. It would be much faster."

Rodney threw his hands into the air. "Thank you!"

"How long will that take?" Elizabeth asked.

Zelenka let out a long breath. "Oh, another 6 or 7 hours. Plus however long it takes for computer to run simulations."

Elizabeth sighed, leaning heavily against the lab bench. Sheppard took it upon himself to speak for her. "Elizabeth, you look exhausted. You both do. How about a break?"

Elizabeth spoke up instantly. "John, no! I'm not leaving Rodney like this for any longer than is absolutely necessary."

"I'm not asking you to!" John snapped back. "I'm just asking you to let Carson have a look at your head!"

"Dr. Zelenka needs me here, Major. Perhaps you've forgotten, but I'm the only one who can see and hear Rodney!"

"Actually," Radek interrupted, "I really don't need either you or McKay for this particular step. I am perfectly capable of writing a simple computer program on my own. And McKay's presence is more hindrance that help."

"Well, excuse me for wanting to double check your results a few extra times. It never hurts to be thorough. After all, this is _my life _we're talking about here!"

"Radek," Elizabeth said, "are you sure you'll be alright? I don't want to go off and leave you to work alone."

"I will be fine, Elizabeth." Zelenka held up a hand to stop her objections. "I will ask Miko to help me. We should get it done in half the time." She resisted the urge to smile knowingly. In addition to being a highly skilled programmer and mathematician, Dr. Miko Kusenagi had somehow managed to unwittingly become the object of Radek's affection.

Elizabeth's reverie was interrupted by Rodney's voice. "Really, Elizabeth, I don't understand why you're objecting so strongly to leaving with Major Sheppard." He gave John a look that fell just short of hostility. Elizabeth had seen them bicker, even argue, but she could never recall a look like this.

"Rodney," she said gently, assuming this was yet another by-product of his stress-induced outbursts, "if you'd rather that I stay and—"

"Oh, don't let me stop you," he spat, then immediately regretted it when he saw the confusion and hurt on her face. Sighing, he scrubbed his hands over his face and said, "I'm sorry, Lizabeth. Taking a break actually sounds like a good idea, and I'm sure Carson wants to check on your head."

She frowned at him. "Rodney, I—"

"Just go, Elizabeth. I'll be fine." She could tell he was trying hard to show tenderness towards her, but he was losing his patience.

Finally, Elizabeth nodded. Turning, she followed John silently down the corridor to the infirmary.

oOo


	6. Chapter 6

oOo

Roughly an hour later, Elizabeth lay wide awake in her bed, staring up at her black ceiling. Carson had examined her head wound, given her a clean bill of health, then ordered her to get some rest. For the last ten minutes, she'd been trying to do just that, and despite her extreme exhaustion, she couldn't seem to fall asleep. She felt restless and boxed in, not to mention bored out of her mind. Finally getting fed up, she decided to go for a walk to clear her head.

She hadn't meant to end up in the infirmary, staring at Rodney's lifeless body, yet here she stood. He looked so pale and still, Elizabeth could easily see how he could be mistaken for dead. She sat silently by his bed, in awe of the stillness all around her. The air seemed thick with it, like she could feel it pressing on her from all sides. Reaching out, she took hold of his hand lightly, shocked at how cold and soft she found it. She closed her eyes against the tears she refused to acknowledge, and choked out, "We'll fix this, Rodney. We have to."

oOo

The next thing she knew, she was being tapped on the shoulder, her groggy mind trying desperately to hold on to the last vestiges of sleep. She was dreaming that she was back on Earth, sitting on a park bench next to Rodney, holding his hand. It would have been lovely, if he wasn't wearing that fireman's helmet. The next thing she knew, John was there in full Western regalia, complete with ten-gallon, six-shooter, and spurs. He leaned in close, so close she could smell his aftershave. It smelled nice, like cocoa powder. Wait, was he saying something? Yes, but what was it? "Elizabeth?" She blinked. "I brought you some hot chocolate." She blinked again, finally focusing on his face inches from hers.

"John?" She rubbed at her tired eyes, then realized she was still holding Rodney's hand. She released it, and took the offered cup from John, breathing in the smell of chocolate. Somehow it reminded her of Rodney, either because he always had some stashed somewhere on his person or because he ate so much of it that it seemed to ooze from his pores, she didn't know. But that was one of the things she missed about him. His ghost version didn't have a smell.

She didn't realize how hungry she was until her stomach growled. As if on cue, John produced a Powerbar from behind his back. She accepted it with a grateful smile. Tearing into the shiny gold wrapper, she asked, "How is Rodney?"

John sat heavily in the chair next to her. "He's okay, I guess. Last I heard, he wouldn't leave the lab, and Zelenka was threatening to give me the security code to his room, then make me ransack his room for my lost Johnny Cash CD. I think he's just upset that he can't get his groove on with Miko if Rodney's hanging around." This earned the desired chuckle from Elizabeth. "How are you doing?" he asked, his concern evident.

"I'm okay," she answered. "I'm a little stiff, but otherwise I'm fine."

"Yeah, well, sleeping in a hospital chair for three hours will do that to you. Do you think they make them this uncomfortable on purpose? To make people more anxious to leave when visiting hours are over?"

Elizabeth stared at him. "Three hours? Is that how long I was out?" She tried to rub some of the stiffness from her joints.

John shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I wanted to wake you up about an hour ago, but Carson wouldn't let me. I believe his exact words were, and I quote," John imitated Carson's voice using a bad Sean Connery impression, "Sheppard, let the lass sleep. She'd be too stubborn to leave this infernal infirmary anyway. Besides, she looks so lovely when she sleeps, like a wee angel." Elizabeth giggled into her hot chocolate, and John chuckled a bit himself. "Okay, well maybe not that last part."

They sat there in companionable silence for several minutes as Elizabeth finished the snack he had brought her. Finally, she stood to leave. I'd better go check on Rodney." Neither of them noticed the figure who had paused in the doorway nearby.

John gently grabbed her arm, effectively stopping her. "Why do you do this to yourself?"

Elizabeth looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

John glowered at her, as if to say, "You know exactly what I mean." Elizabeth slumped back down in her chair, and John leaned in close as he spoke. "You don't always have to be the strong one."

"What would you have me do, John?"

"Well, if you're asking my advice," he gave her a pointed glare, knowing full well she wasn't, "I'd say you need a vacation."

Elizabeth stared off into the distance, contemplating the idea. "Sometimes, I wish I could. It would be nice, you know? To not have everyone look to me, as if I should have all the answers. To not have people questioning me and my decisions. To not know that I'm responsible for the lives of each and every one of the people under my care…" She trailed off, staring at her hands. "Sometimes I get tired of having to be the strong one."

"Then why don't you stop?" John asked, no trace of challenge in his voice, just concern.

"Stop what, Major? You of all people should know that being a leader isn't something you can just turn off and on at will. These people need me to be strong for them. Just like Rodney needs me now. " She let her gaze linger for a while on Rodney's pale, gray face, the stillness of it unnerving her. She turned back to face John, just missing the figure's silent exit. "So," she continued, I'm going to do what I always do. I'm going to put on a brave face, go out there, and be the nucleus of this bizarre little family we've developed. And I'm going to keep on doing that until I can't do it any more." With one final look at John, she swallowed hard, and he nodded his understanding before leaving the infirmary at her side.

oOo


	7. Chapter 7

oOo

Elizabeth and John entered the lab to find Zelenka shamelessly hitting on Kusenagi, while she could only giggle helplessly. The pair jumped guiltily at Elizabeth's entrance, so she hid her grin and took a look around the room for Rodney. When she didn't immediately see him, she asked Zelenka where he was.

"He is not with you? But I sent him to get you half hour ago, to tell you we have finished program simulations, and have found inverse frequency."

Elizabeth's heart leapt into her throat at the thought that they would soon have the snarky but lovable astrophysicist back to being solid again. "So soon?" she asked.

Zelenka grinned cheekily. "Well, I had excellent help." At his side, Miko struggled to hide another giggle.

Excited by the news but disturbed by McKay's apparent MIA status, Elizabeth decided to set out in search of him. She figured he had probably expected to find her resting in her quarters, and when he hadn't, he began searching the city for her. She checked his usual haunts, but coming up empty, had taken to roaming the halls of the city. She was just beginning to get worried when she had a hunch of where he might be, and headed to the far grounding station.

She paused as she reached the doorway, taking in the view. The sky was clear and the seas were calm, contrasting sharply with her memories of the place. She spied Rodney sitting on the steps, and walked over to sit silently beside him.

"I was wondering when you'd find me," he said, not at all surprised by her presence.

Elizabeth watched him very carefully, but he steadfastly refused to look at her. "Rodney, is everything alright?"

He ignored her question, instead asking one of his own. "Do you remember the last time we were here?" Elizabeth shuddered. How could she forget? "I was so scared. I…I felt like I couldn't move, I couldn't think…anything." She blinked, surprised at his candor. She was willing to bet that she was witnessing a side of Rodney that only a handful of people in the universe had ever seen. He looked at her. "But not you. You were so strong, so together about the whole thing. You knew what needed to be done, and you did it."

"Rodney, that doesn't mean that I—"

He held up one finger. "Wait. Just…just let me finish." He let out a breath slowly through his nostrils. "You were the only thing that kept me hanging on. You kept me from falling apart." He looked her squarely in the eye as he spoke, and Elizabeth felt the weight of meaning in his words. Their gaze lingered a moment longer, before Rodney looked away. "But I guess I never considered what it was like for you, out here, afraid, with no one to lean on for support. You had to be strong enough for the both of us that day. And it wasn't the first time."

She felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. "You heard us." It wasn't a question.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Well, not intentionally. Anyway, that isn't the point. The point is, although I'm loathe to admit it, Sheppard's right. You don't have to be everyone's strength all the time, and from now on, I'm not expecting you to be mine. I can handle it on my own from here." Elizabeth opened her mouth to object, but at his look her words died in her throat. "This is non-negotiable, Lizabeth." She looked at him a long time before finally closing her eyes and nodding, giving in. "Right," Rodney nodded, his voice thick. "There's just one other thing then, before we head back." He put his hands behind his back and cleared his throat, making him look like he was about to give a lecture during a briefing. "Sheppard was right about something else; you do deserve a vacation. Although, a vacation doesn't have to be a place, necessarily…It can be a person." Rodney's voice threatened to lose the professional quality it had suddenly adopted at those words. Recovering himself, he continued. "You deserve somebody who can help you relax. Someone who can make you laugh, and who appreciates your teasing. You need somebody who lets you be Elizabeth Weir, the person, instead of just seeing you as Dr. Weir, the leader of Atlantis." At this, he gave her a look that betrayed his business-like manner, and threatened to burn into her soul. "I hope you find that," he croaked. With an apparently satisfied nod, he turned and headed back inside, presumably towards his lab.

Elizabeth took a moment to wonder why it felt like the world was pressing all the air out of her lungs, before following him inside.

She continued to walk with him in stony silence, until they entered McKay's lab, where everyone was waiting. "Ah, Dr. Weir!" Zelenka called in greeting. "McKay is with you, I assume?" She nodded. "Good! Then let's get started, shall we?" Radek picked up the ball and handed it to Elizabeth. "Don't worry, it won't activate until McKay touches it. However, I should warn you—"

"Let's just get this over with," Rodney snapped, before slamming his palm down onto the device in Elizabeth's hands. There was a bright flash, and Elizabeth was again sent flying through the air. Luckily, this time she didn't run into anything, unless you wanted to count Major Sheppard's shoes. When she came to seconds later, she was met with John's concerned brown eyes.

She suddenly sat straight up, groaning as it made her head spin. "Rodney! Where's Rodney?" she asked.

John and Zelenka shared a look. "Um…we were kind of hoping you could tell us." Elizabeth looked at him with wide eyes as he helped her to her feet. She scanned the room quickly, finding no sign of Rodney, aside from that damned Ancient device laying placidly in the middle of the floor. She felt an overwhelming desire to punt it into the nearest wall.

'Okay, don't panic,' she told herself calmly. 'No need to jump to conclusions. That thing obviously did something to him, and we don't know what it is, but I doubt it would have killed him twice, unless it blinked him into oblivion, and then he'd be lost forever, and pissed, oh god, please, I can't lose him…'

"Dr. Weir!" Carson's voice buzzed in her head, and she had to remind herself that she was wearing a radio.

She tapped it. "Weir."

"You need to come down to the infirmary. It's Rodney."

Elizabeth took off like a shot, running the entire way to the infirmary, the rest following after her. Carson looked up when she entered. "Bloody hell, that was fast!"

"How is he? Is he here?" she asked, breathless.

Carson smiled. "Have a look for yourself." He motioned to the bed where Rodney's body had lain before, cold, gray, and lifeless. Now, however, he was very much alive, animated, and being harassed by the nurses.

"Do you mind? I might have to use that arm later!" he yelled at the nurse taking his blood pressure, then swatted away the pen light. "What are you trying to do, blind me?"

Elizabeth's face nearly cracked, her grin was so wide. Just as he opened her mouth to call out to him, Sheppard burst through the door, his arms open almost as wide as his smile. "Rodney! You're alive!"

"Well, I'm glad somebody in here besides me has a brain! Major, would you kindly enlighten everyone else about your little revelation? They don't seem to get it!" He had been repeatedly pushing away the thermometer that the nurse was trying to shove in his ever flapping mouth, and he finally seemed to reach the brink of his patience. "Would you _stop_!" he yelled.

"Alright, ladies, I think the check up can wait for later," Carson ushered the nurses out of the room, adding, "Preferably after I've administered a sedative."

"I heard that!" Rodney yelled at Carson's retreating form. "And for the last time, Carson, where are my pants! I don't even want to think about why you undressed my dead body!" Without missing a beat, he turned to Sheppard and asked, "Did you bring food?"

If Elizabeth had thought John's grin couldn't get any wider, she was wrong. Slapping Rodney soundly on the back, he said, "It's good to have you back, McKay."

oOo


	8. Chapter 8

oOo

Three days later, Elizabeth and John were ready to step through the gate to Earth for their rescheduled meeting with the president, and Rodney was there to see them off. Rodney had barely spoken to Elizabeth since Rodney's miraculous 'resurrection,' and never one-on-one. When they had spoken, their conversations were never strained, but Elizabeth couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about him, and his refusal to go to this meeting wasn't helping to ease her mind. "Are you sure you don't want to go with us? It _is _the president."

Rodney waved her off casually. "Oh, you can't fool me. It's just a bunch of bureaucrats shuffling papers. My highly valuable skills are better suited elsewhere."

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "Yeah, have fun tinkering with your gadgets, McKay."

Rodney scoffed. "I don't tinker! I perform highly technical analyses of complicated alien devices."

"Exactly. You tinker with gadgets."

Elizabeth grinned, despite the sudden redness in McKay's face. It really was good to have him back. "Gentlemen," she interjected, "whenever you're ready." She headed off towards the gate.

McKay grabbed Johns' arm to stop him. "He'll be there in a minute, Elizabeth." When she was out of earshot, he said, "Take care of her."

John glanced between Elizabeth and Rodney as if the scientist had finally lost his tenuous grip on reality. "It's Earth," he said, as if talking to a small and particularly slow child.

McKay didn't bother to hide his annoyance. "Yes, yes, I'm well aware of that particular insight, Major. What I mean is…I don't want to see her get hurt."

"Oh," Sheppard said, clearly not getting it. Then his eyes widened in realization. "Oh!" He looked back at Elizabeth, then asked in a whisper, "You think she…?" He left the thought hanging.

"Major," Rodney warned in a tense voice.

John immediately looked contrite. "Right. Sorry." Both men stood there uncomfortably for several seconds, John shuffling his feet slightly. "So," he asked slowly, "we gonna be okay?"

Rodney looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, eventually."

"I'll take good care of her, Rodney," he said earnestly. McKay nodded, then watched Sheppard practically bounce to his side by Elizabeth. The two shared a smile before Elizabeth told the crew to dial up the gate.

With one last look over her shoulder at Rodney, Elizabeth stepped through the gate to be greeted by General Landry. "Dr. Weir, Major Sheppard, welcome back."

Elizabeth smiled in greeting. "Thank you, General."

"However, I'm afraid I have some bad news. We just received word that the president's been detained by his negotiations in the Middle East. He won't be able to be here until tomorrow."

"But we'll still get to meet him, right?" John interrupted. "Sir," he added, realizing his disrespect. He missed the sideways glance Elizabeth cast his way. 'Sure,' she thought, 'not excited at all.'

"Of course," the General answered. "Can't start the meeting without him. In the meantime, we've set up some temporary accommodations in the VIP quarters. Walter!" The general turned to yell for the Sergeant, only to find himself staring right at his face. "Oh, Walter, there you are. Would you mind—"

"Certainly," Harriman nodded. "If you'll just come with me, I can show you to your quarters."

Elizabeth followed the Sergeant through the corridors of the SGC, allowing the nostalgia and familiarity of the place wash over her. Walter stopped at the first set of quarters. "Dr. Weir, this is your room. I've taken the liberty of providing some entertainment. There is a small collection of movies and popcorn in your room, and a poker set in Major Sheppard's."

John raised both eyebrows. "Really? Cool."

"Thank you, Sergeant," she smiled. "This was very thoughtful of you."

Walter ducked his head, blushing slightly. "Yes, well…um, Major Sheppard, why don't I show you to your quarters."

The two men headed off down the hall while Elizabeth glanced around her sparse quarters. When her gaze landed on the short stack of four movies next to the television, she picked them up and started perusing the titles. Casablanca, Star Wars, Die Hard, and…she had to stifle a laugh at the final movie: The Sixth Sense.

There was a sharp rap on her open door, and she glanced up briefly from the movie she held to see John leaning in the doorway. "Well, since it looks like we're going to be here for a while, what do you say to some real Earth food? Walter said there's a great place just down the street, O'Malley's." John furrowed his brow in thought. "You know, he's really pretty good at anticipating what we need."

Elizabeth didn't look up from the movie in her hands. If anything, she was looking at it more closely. "Yes, he is," she agreed. What did she need? John had told her she needed a vacation. Rodney had told her she needed a man…Well, he'd put it more delicately than that, but that was the jest of it. He said she needed somebody who she could just relax and be herself around, not have to worry about—

"Elizabeth?" John's voice cut into her thoughts. "What do you say?"

"Hmm?" She realized she hadn't been paying attention to his question.

John's face turned a slight shade pinker. "I said, do you want to have dinner with me?"

Wait, was John asking her on a…date? How did she feel about that? She glanced down at the movie again, as if it held all the answers. In a blinding flash of clarity, she knew exactly what she needed, and where she needed to be. In a voice that shocked even herself, she whispered, "I can't."

John's face fell. "Oh, okay…"

"John, I have to go."

"What…now?"

"Yes. Will you give my apologies to the president?"

"We just got here!" John's voice became more incredulous with each word.

"I know, but I need to get back to Atlantis!" Elizabeth felt herself shaking.

"Why!" John demanded. She didn't answer, she just stared at him, hoping he would come to his own conclusion. After several moments of confusion, John's expression slowly softened to one of understanding. Stepping out of her way, he told her, "Go."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then rushed past him. When she was halfway down the corridor, John called out after her. "Elizabeth!" She turned, and John fixed her with a knowing gaze. "Tell McKay hi for me." Elizabeth nodded, then took off down the hallway, to Atlantis.

oOo

Rodney sat alone in the briefing room, in the dark, but he was not sulking. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. Sulking implied he was wallowing in self-pity, and that wasn't going to do him any good. Besides, he knew that Elizabeth's happiness would eventually diminish his feelings of loss, so what was the point? Breathing another heavy sigh, his third in the last five minutes, Rodney laid his head down on the table and listened to the sound of approaching footsteps. He silently willed them to go away, but he knew that whoever was coming was probably looking for him to fix something in the city. Some days, Rodney felt like nothing more than a glorified handyman trying to hold a jet engine together with bubble gum and bailing wire.

The footsteps stopped at the entrance to the briefing room, and there was a soft knock on the door. Without lifting his head from the table, Rodney mumbled, "Unless there are multiple lives at stake and one of them is mine, it can wait a half an hour."

"I'm sorry, am I disturbing you?" Elizabeth's voice rang in his ears like a bell, and his head shot up.

"Lizabeth!" She gave him a wry smile. "What are you doing here?"

"You're not the only person on Atlantis who can pick and choose which meetings to attend."

Rodney frowned. "But…the president?"

She took a step forward. "It wasn't where I needed to be." She watched him, waiting for her words to sink in, before revealing one of the items from behind her back. "I brought you a present."

Rodney smiled despite himself when he read the title. "The Sixth Sense?"

Elizabeth smirked, revealing the second item. "And popcorn," she said, tossing a piece into her mouth. "I was thinking that if Dr. Zelenka still had this room set up as a movie theater, we could watch it in here."

Radek had hooked up his laptop to an Atlantis view screen, creating his own version of a private theater. From what Elizabeth had heard, Miko had found it very romantic.

Rodney had heard those same rumors. He swallowed hard, suddenly feeling like a teenager on his first date. "Uh…sure," he replied eloquently.

Smiling, Elizabeth took the DVD from him and loaded it into the laptop. When they were both seated and waiting for the movie to start, Rodney turned to Elizabeth and asked, "Am I even going to like this movie, now that I know the ending?"

Elizabeth smiled and slipped her hand in his before answering, "I think you'll enjoy it. Now shut up and watch the movie, Rodney."

Rodney still never saw the ending of the movie, but he did definitely enjoy it.

oOo


End file.
